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Building hours

During a government shutdown, all performances and events will go on as scheduled, with the Kennedy Center opening to the public approximately two hours prior to scheduled performances and events. Please see our event calendar for specific daily performance times.

In general, the Kennedy Center's public hours will be curtailed as follows:

• On days when there are only evening performances, the building will open to the public at 5 p.m.
• On days when there is an afternoon matinee performance the building will open to the public at 11:30 am.
• On days with performances at other times, the building's opening time will be determined by the performance or event’s schedule. Check the home page daily for opening times.
• ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵÃâ·Ñ°æapp Box Office and Gift Shops will remain open for regular hours Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–9 p.m., Sunday, noon–9 p.m.
• The REACH will be open 1 hour prior to scheduled activities and events. Please check our calendar for start times.
• The John F. Kennedy Exhibit will be open in accordance with the Kennedy Center’s performance calendar.

During times when the building is closed to the public, access for visitors will be through A Level North parking portals to the A Level lobby or through the Hall of States entrances. The Hall of Nations doors will be closed to public entry. Visitors will be permitted to enter only for the following purposes:

• To purchase tickets at the Box Office
• To shop in the Gift Shop
• For business appointments with staff
• For technical/rehearsal purposes related to performances

* Please enter the Kennedy Center Garage through the A Level North portal to get a parking entrance ticket for up to 2 hours free parking with validation at the Box Office or Gift Shop.

School performances will continue as scheduled with all access to occur through the Hall of States. When the building is closed, there will be no tours and the KC Café will be closed. The KC Café and The Roof Terrace Restaurant will be open in advance of all performances.

²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵÃâ·Ñ°æapp Shuttle Buses from the Metro will continue to operate on regular or holiday schedules.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (the “Kennedy Center” or “Center”) is a trust instrumentality of the United States government, authorized and governed pursuant to 20 U.S.C. 76h et seq. Pursuant to its authorizing legislation, the Kennedy Center serves as both the sole federal memorial to John F. Kennedy within the city of Washington, DC, and the National Center for the Performing Arts (20 U.S.C. 76h(a)(1)). ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵÃâ·Ñ°æapp is maintained as a free public building and is open 365 days a year from 10 am until 12 am.

²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵÃâ·Ñ°æapp’s campus, including the REACH, which opened in September of 2019, sits on 17.6 acres of land. Between the original structure and the REACH, the Kennedy Center manages 1.7 million square feet of interior space, including 75,000 square feet of exhibit space. ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵÃâ·Ñ°æapp maintains 7,200 fixed seats across six theaters, with an additional three public stages. The Center has one multiuse studio/performance/special event space, at least nine additional spaces that can be used for special events, one lecture hall, two public restaurants, one café, three box offices, two gift shops, and a parking garage with the capacity to park roughly 2,000 vehicles including buses.

²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵÃâ·Ñ°æapp receives a federal appropriation for operations and maintenance of the Center’s public spaces, including approximately 60 federal employees who handle contracting, project management, facilities services, security, and maintenance of the physical plant, as well as federally funded contracts for security and housekeeping services and construction and maintenance projects.

The Center is explicitly prohibited from using appropriated funds “for any direct expense incurred in the production of a performing arts attraction, for personnel who are involved in performing arts administration (including any supply or equipment used by the personnel), or for production, staging, public relations, marketing, fundraising, ticket sales, or education” (20 U.S.C. 76r(e)). The Center’s charitable trust uses a combination of earned income, contributions, and grants to perform its performing arts and educational functions.

In the event of a government shutdown, the Kennedy Center will continue its non-appropriated functions and honor all non-appropriated fund contracts, including planned performances, educational activities, public trust functions (such as box office, retail, and parking operations), and employment activities for its public trust employees. This is consistent with the Center’s activities during past government shutdowns, during which the Kennedy Center remained open and performances were maintained as scheduled.

²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵÃâ·Ñ°æapp will proceed with an orderly shutdown of federally funded activities as described below. Federal operations will be curtailed to the extent possible and non-essential federal personnel will be furloughed. Employees who are not designated as excepted will be given up to four (4) hours to complete an orderly shutdown on their next reporting date and will be released from work until funding is restored and normal business resumes. However, excepted employees performing the following activities that fall under direct appropriations will continue to work in order to protect life and property:

• The Center will utilize the appropriate security personnel necessary to protect the building and patrons based upon the specific needs and events of the relevant time period. Building ingress and egress will be reduced to the extent possible based upon anticipated attendance.
• The Center will limit essential mechanical, electrical and plumbing personnel and defer preventative maintenance to the lowest levels possible to protect life and property with on call response from additional appropriated personnel as necessary to resolve emergencies.
• Emergency services for essential systems such as fire alarm, electronic security, elevators, emergency generator, fire pump, and critical central plant systems will be maintained.
• The Center will utilize appropriate housekeeping and trash removal to protect people and property, with a focus on patron areas.
• Forward funded contracts and other contracts funded with no-year or prior years' money shall continue as scheduled, provided that contractors do not require the presence of an appropriated fund employee. Contracting staff needed to ensure continued progress for ongoing projects will be maintained.

²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵÃâ·Ñ°æapp is prohibited from accepting voluntary services from federal employees to continue their regular duties and staff who are not excepted will not be permitted to work at the Kennedy Center, from home, or another site and may not access Kennedy Center email.

In the event of a shutdown, notices will be posted at public entrances to the Kennedy Center to inform the visiting public of the reduced hours of operation. In addition, the Kennedy Center's main website will be updated and the main telephone number (202-467-4600) will have a recorded message about the Kennedy Center's status.

Furloughed employees should consult the and monitor local television and radio stations for information about returning to duty.

Lapse Plan Summary Overview

Estimated time (to nearest half day) required to complete shutdown activities:	1/2 day
Total number of agency employees expected to be on board before implementation of the plan:	57 Employees
Total number of agency employees expected to be furloughed under the plan (unduplicated count):	26 Employees

Total number of employees to be retained under the plan for each of the following categories
(may include duplicated counts):

Compensation is financed by a resource other than annual appropriations:	5 Employees
Necessary to perform activities expressly authorized by law:	3 Employees
Necessary to perform activities necessarily implied by law:	0 Employees
Necessary to the discharge of the President's constitutional duties and powers:	0 Employees
Necessary to protect life and property:	23 Employees

 

Revised September 2023